NYC: 5 independent bookstores to visit for Christmas 2013

East Village Books is the quintessential New York bookshop – tiny, low ceilings, full of eclectic and entertaining reads. Located in the heart of East Village, this little used book store specializes in classic fiction, philosophy, world religions, art, and scholarly texts.

Located almost directly under the neighborhood’s acronym (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Underpass) the powerHouse Arena lives up to the name. At 5000 square feet and with 24-foot tall ceilings, this book amphitheater not only houses seminal texts on photography, fiction, non-fiction, and art, but also exhibitions and performances. A must for book and architecture lovers.

New York City’s most notable used and new book store, The Strand, decks the shelves with festive reads, stationary, and Out of Print’s literary clothing this holiday season. The three-level store boasts housing 18 miles of books, author readings by David Sedaris, James Franco, and Marina Abramovic, and hosts some holiday cheer this year with ornament making and caroling during “A Very Merry Strand Christmas Celebration” at 2 PM on December 21 & 22nd.

Books and coffee is the combination McNally Jackson serves to the literati of Greenwich Village. Offering two floors of books and a locally stacked café – which offers organic milk from Hudson Valley and food from Ovenly, Balthazar, Murray’s, and Sarabeth’s – this bookshop maybe the most pleasing literary spot in the city.

Housing Works Bookstore makes buying books a good cause. With the entirety of proceeds supporting homeless people suffering with HIV/AIDS, each fiction, non-fiction, rare or collectible purchase helps save lives. Not to mention, it’s a more than accommodating meeting place.